Six (lack of) Sleep note. Game night. Audio as always sn@pnwsalex

[11calls]

[Hey look, it's yet another post that does not happen at three in the morning. It seems that Alex is actually sleeping for the most part. It's kind of amazing. And she's also sounding extremely chipper, even if there is the faintest of whispers of 'Richard' from somewhere behind her. Look, she locked the thing in the drawer of her desk and it still keeps saying the name of the person she has a crush on. It's all Jeff's fault. But she's not going to mention it at all. Nope, it's not even happening. Instead, she's focused on something else.]

So I was talking with a friend recently, or at least recently-ish anyway about games. Like board games and things like that. Did you know that dice and games were used before recorded history on Earth? And that dice were found in tombs in Iran that date back to 2800–2500 BCE? So honestly, playing games is like something that really seems universal and kind of timeless as well.

Which brings me to my next question, and trust me I really do have a point. What sort of games did you play at home? Do you have copies here? What sort of games do you want to see if you have copies of?

I'm putting together a game night, either renting out a cafe, or if need be the school, and I'd like to include something from everywhere if possible. Board games, dice games, card games, it's all going to be welcome here. If nothing else, it'll be a nice distraction from everything else. [Everything else here meaning all of the love festival stuff that's going down.] And the goal is to play five games you've never played before, so come on down.

I'm not even limiting games like Monopoly or Uno or whatever. [Even though she probably should just based on her experience. She's also definitely not bringing Mario Kart. Alex does have some sense of fair play and wanting to keep friendships in tact. For now anyway.]

Also hi if you don't know who I am. I'm Alex. Alex Reagan. Welcome.

Comments

[stantheman]

Yom Kippur... It's about atonement, after Rosh Hashanah, you fast and on Yom Kippur we usually would go to temple. Different families have different ways of observing it. It's not celebratory. It's a very... solemn holiday. A lot of families use it as a day to make things right and air grievances and apologize for wrongs done over the last year. You can start the Jewish New Year fresh of last years grievances with those around you and with God.

There's some other things, there's special meals before the fast and everything. But not everyone even fasts.

My father thought it was one of the most important days in the Jewish Calendar.

[11calls]

I’m sorry we missed it then. Is there anything coming up that you want to celebrate?

[Alex will be over here doing some research. Richard’s got all those religion books somewhere.]

[stantheman]

It's okay. You don't have to worry about that stuff.

[11calls]

Stan, we're taking care of you. Of course we have to worry about that stuff. I'm sorry I didn't think about it before.

[Alex herself is a recovering Catholic agnostic, so she doesn't really think of religion anymore, but clearly it's important to him so it's going to be important to her.]

[stantheman]

It's all kind of silly. Especially here.

[11calls]

I don't think it's silly if it's important to you and connects you to things back home. Stan, I know that Richard and I aren't religious or spiritual in any real way, but you are, and that's fantastic. You don't have to stop being that just because you're with us.

[stantheman]

I always resented my dad for making me study Hebrew and everything. I even acted out at my Bar Mitzvah. I don't know if I'm really religious or if I just want to be close to my family again but it seems hypocritical to now when I was so annoyed by it.

[11calls]

Well, if you want to be close to your family, then you want to be close to your family. I mean, I definitely have moments of that too: doing something you normally wouldn't do because it reminds you of them.

If you want to do it, Stan, it's okay. If you don't, that's okay too. We just want you to do something that's going to make you happy.

[stantheman]

[ Stan doesn't really know what to say anymore. ]

Thank you.

[11calls]

Of course. Stan, we want to do anything that we can to make things as easy as possible for you here. I hope that you know that.

[It's Alex most sincere voice, so you know it's true.]